Tag: J.Press

Manhattanites in plaid flannel shirts and crepe-soled leather boots are hiking down Fifth Avenue. Students in goose-down vests and baggy sweatpants are trekking through Harvard Square. Dudes in lumber jackets are hanging out in Beverly Hills. Few of these folks have a clue how to swing a fly rod or an ax. But they do know that outdoor gear designed for the backwoods has come in from the cold for wear everywhere.

That was written in 1976, but reads like it could have been from yesterday.

Out with the baggy jeans, the chinoiserie, the gypsy queen regalia. In with the snappy blue blazers and tweed hacking jackets, button-down Oxford-cloth shirts and Shetland sweaters, khaki slacks and tartan skirts. This summer and fall, the fashion-conscious woman will be wearing exactly what the fashion-unconscious woman has been wearing for decades. It is currently labeled the Preppie Look, though the style has also been known as Ivy League, Town and Country, Brooks Brothers or—in England —County. Mother would approve…

…The vogue is not tied to any individual designer. Indeed, in some ways it represents a rebellion against duds that bear big-name labels. Says Armond Suacci, manager of Cable Car Clothiers in San Francisco: “Preppie people do not need designers because they already have taste in clothing.”

Fashion Designer Ralph Lauren grew up a long way from all the things he really admired: hand-tailored clothes, manor houses, sports cars, fine horses and manicured lawns. But call it a yearning process: as an outsider to that world, Bronx-born Lauren dreamed up his own brand of gentility and style. Now he has managed to create an image and a company that have nearly cornered the market for supplying today’s would-be Gatsbys. Shunning hipness and flamboyance, Lauren cultivates the up-and-coming customer’s appreciation for things and dreams that last.

Wives v. Boots. Founder and autocratic boss of this Down-East Abercrombie & Fitch is L. L. (for Leon Leonwood) Bean, 90, a crusty Yankee who is more woodsman than businessman. Bean still works vigorously each day in a glassed-in office amidst the production line, is proud of the fact that he has bagged 35 deer in his lifetime. (“That’s a lot of deer, son. You can get only one a year, you know.”) He personally edits each entry in the Bean mail-order catalogue, and his spare, disarming style has been used in advertising textbooks as exemplary of what direct-mail selling should be. Sample: “Most hunters and fishermen smoke. For a long time we searched for an outstanding pipe. This pipe is the result.”

J.Press just did a late night rollout for part of their fall/winter selection. As usual, the accessories are the only interesting things worth noting, but I do know that they’ll make some hardcore trad folks happy with the new crew-neck fair isle vests and other similar goods.

I would want to wait to see if Drake’s will sell their version again though.

One of my favorite jackets this season has been the WA field jacket, which for as long as I’ve been following it is a new addition to the line. Unnecessary details of the original military versions were left out (namely zippered hoods and epaulet straps) and only the bare necessities were left in. The pockets are fastened with plain covered buttons, and you can safely store eye or sunglasses in the chest pockets without worrying about scratches. I’m slightly torn on whether or not I like the 65/35 poly cotton fabric for this jacket, but it has performed well and is light enough to wear in warmer weather.

Engineered Garments WA Field Jacket in khaki

Engineered Garments WA Field Jacket in navy

As far as I know, they were only available at Hejfina (Chicago) and at a few different Barney’s locations. I believe they will also be returning in the Fall/Winter collection this year in heaver fabrics.